Hey Maroons! Hope y’all had a relaxing winter break! Over said break, the second season of an artistically crafted show, “Arcane,” concluded as well. This show premiered on Netflix in 2021 and is set in Riot’s world of League of Legends. The animation was produced by the French company “Fortiche” and was all started by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. This show is very versatile since even if you have not played League of Legends, you build connections to the characters just the same!
If you are not familiar with the show, this is the backstory of two characters named Violet/Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder/Jinx (voiced by Ella Purnell) and the world they call “home.” We are thrown into the escalating unrest between the rich and poor; Piltover and Zaun. Our two protagonists, Vi and Powder, find themselves showered with conflict over their beliefs as well as the evolving technology of the Arcane.
Season two picks up right where we left off and each episode flies by (which is a good thing). All the stories are written thoroughly, and I can tell that love and thought was put into each character. No scene is a throw-away, which is appreciated. The music was also crafted to perfectly fit the vibe for each scene it was used in. Specifically, “Heavy is the Crown” cover by Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong and “To Ashes and Blood” by Woodkid. Both songs capture the raw emotion felt by the characters in the scene they’re used in which brought the connection I needed as a viewer. “To Ashes and Blood” evokes the heart wrenching battle that ensues, the evolution of the Arcane, and how entangling with things with little to no knowledge can be dangerous…
My only gripe with season 2 is how the Black Rose was introduced. The moments where it was introduced were interesting to watch, but just felt like something they needed to work into the plot somehow. If this was introduced earlier in the season, even season 1, the pacing for this plot line might’ve been more cohesive.
Otherwise, please check out this amazing show! They have a documentary on their YouTube describing the process of season 1 which I highly recommend after finishing season 2!
Sabrina Rogers
Section Editors
